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“That’s the first thing.” The Don leans back in his seat and laces his fingers together as he stares at me. “And then I need you to deal with the senator.”
Now there’s someone I’ve been wanting to scrape off the face of the earth for years. “No problem.”
“You can’t take him out, Matteo. He has paid for Alex’s death.”
“With the amount of money he owes us, with his backstabbing, I don’t understand why he’s still alive.” I see the accounts every two weeks. For twelve years not a penny has been paid towards the two million the senator owes us.
“He hasn’t dared cross me in twelve years, but now the time has come for the final retribution.” The Don swivels his seat and reaches into a drawer behind him. “He has protected her for years, but he owes us. It’s time for his final lesson in the ways of Il Consiglio.”
When he faces me again, he has a thick folder which he drops to the desk with a thud. “Natasha Armstrong. The single, final installment that will settle the debt.”
I reach for the file and open it, and with a swift glance through the first few pages know what the Don wants from me. Ruin her. Use her. Make her pay for Alex’s death until she begs for her own.
Pretty little thing too. “I’ll make it happen.” I’m known as the one that gets a job done, whatever it takes. And unlike most men, I’m not swayed by a woman’s allures.
“Good. Play nice and make it happen off-shore for me, will you?”
I nod. Dealing with the Sicilian already means a trip abroad. This job might as well tag along.
The Don coughs and I listen closer. It’s a cough he’s had for months but now it has a harsher, wetter ring to it. I don’t ask questions. Not of that kind. “What’s the third job?”
“Bring me proof that the other two are done and I’ll tell you. It’s more of a personal nature.”
“Bruno?”
“No. Bruno is a good boy. He’ll wait for me to go before he does.”
And like everybody else the damned dog will comply. I’m not going to get anything more out of him now. “What proof do you want?”
“Be creative, Matteo, it’s always been your strength.”
A compliment? Fuck. The guy must be really close to the end. “How much time do we have?”
“Four months if the doctors are right, but just get it done, will you? I want to rest in peace.”
I want to laugh but plug it. Peace. What a notion. No such thing for any Scalera in this city, probably not even on this planet. It’s as if our destiny was chiseled into the blood-stained stone of an ancient altar where human sacrifices used to be made.
“I’ll prioritize it.” I stand and notice how the Don is shrunken in his chair, seeming smaller than before. As his son, as his firstborn, I should probably walk around the desk and kiss him. At a minimum on his hand, graced by our insignia ring. But I can’t get myself to do it.
I take the file and walk out. It’s always only been a matter of time for his reign of terror to pass. Now we can hear the clock ticking.
Finally.
2
MATTEO
When I get home, I walk straight to the bar to get a whiskey, but Burley, my bodyguard, is here and we need to talk. The Brit is a pint man, so I crack open a beer instead.
“Do you want one?” I ask, ready to toss one in his direction. Since my brother Dominic upgraded my security to top-of-the-line systems during a recent reno, I no longer need people around me all the time, but Burley is more than a bodyguard; he’s a friend.
“Sure, boss.” He nimbly catches it and I watch with some fascination how he maneuvers his thick forefinger under the tab to open the can. His name is so fitting. His hands are so big, there’s no seeing the can anymore.
Burley has been with me for years. He’s ten years older than my mere thirty-four, but he’s become a fixture in my life and one of the handful of people I trust and rely on one hundred percent.
“What’s the paperwork?” he asks as I make my way across the gleaming hardwood floor of my penthouse to the living area, Natasha’s file in hand. I toss the file to the coffee table and strip off my jacket and holster. Placing the gun on the coffee table as I sit down, I reach for the one nestled against my calf as well.
“A project the Don has been saving for a special day.” I reach for the file and spread the photos and intel out, glancing over some of the content.
